1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an apparatus for housing an animal, more specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus that can be easily assembled or disassembled and used for small animal transportation or housing.
2. Background Art
An area not currently addressed by pet crate manufacturers is the ability to quickly and easily assemble a pet crate while providing a safe pet confinement. In the majority of conventional or known crate assemblies, it is necessary for the pet owner to manually assemble a series of locking members while utilizing both hands. Crate assembly generally involves direct handling or manipulation of coupling structures including wing nut fasteners or snap type clips while balancing both crate halves and simultaneously assembling the door portion which is awkward and cumbersome because the top and bottom posts of the door must perfectly align with the holes on the top and bottom of the crate.
The most commonly used pet crate assemblies consist of a series of bolt and wing nut fasteners and snap type fasteners to secure two halves of the pet crate. The bolt and wing fasteners are the preferred industry standard for safety. However, there are numerous fasteners to install requiring precision while using both hands. The bolt and wing fasteners are cumbersome to assemble and the parts often get lost. Snap fasteners are also a bit cumbersome to use as the snap can be difficult to close or open and the snap frame will at times detach from the crate frame. Additionally, snap fasteners may become undone or break simply by bumping or dropping the crate. Halves of known pet crate assemblies may become detached due to movement or vibrations that may loosen the securing devices.
Additionally, plastic pet crates do not have the capability to easily confine two animals separately and safely within one crate.
The invention disclosed is intended to address these and other problems existing in the prior art.